


Night Moves

by klynnvakarian



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Friendship, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 02:04:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4245393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klynnvakarian/pseuds/klynnvakarian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some downtime during ME3, Steve Cortez watches the interactions of the crew and Shepard. Vega's got a new addition to the ship and he can't wait to show it off to Lola.<br/>Just a small bit of friendship and light hearted fun. This reads from Steve's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Moves

**Author's Note:**

> I do not have a beta so any mistakes are my own, and standard disclaimer, I own nothing. I have this thing about Steve being the dad of the ship, which fits with my Mama Chakwas. Also the song that brought this on is Little Latin Lupe Lu by The Righteous Brothers.
> 
> Please forgive any errors with the Spanish, I had to trust the Google...

The cargo bay was loud. Shouts and heavy footfalls, the groaning of crates settling into their new positions. Cortez couldn’t remember the last time he had been somewhere truly quiet. A chime rang through the air announcing a new arrival as Shepard stepped out of the elevator. The turian Reaper advisor, Garrus, following two steps behind. Data pad held in one long fingered hand close to his face with three more tucked by his hip. He called out questions to her and Shepard answered over her shoulder without slowing down.

He lifted his head from his own set of numbers and parts to track her progress through his space. A soft smile crossed his face, her ship but his space. Shepard had told that to Vega after Cortez had chewed him out for the mess the younger man had made. Working her way around the new supplies recently bartered for he watched as her eyes narrowed and curled her body around a quick turn that caught the turian off guard, taking him forward a few steps in her original direction before pulling to a stop. Garrus' head rose from the information in his hand and swung side to side as he sought out the commander before falling in to an easy, loping stride that brought her within reach of his long arms. Cortez had noticed a change in Shepard after Palaven. Her gravitation towards the imposing mass of blue armor now stalking about the ship had surprised a few of the newer crewmembers.

He could understand that. Having listened to her many times as he worked on the shuttle he knew there was something she needed. Something familiar he decided after she admitted to the same behavior on the original Normandy, materializing by the Kodiak when she needed an escape. Looking for something she couldn’t get her hands on. He keeps watching and wonders to himself if he is going to have to clear out a third workspace for another love sick fool to hang around and bother him, and then with another smile he wonders what Robert would have thought of all this. Before he can get too lost in those memories however he watches as Vega straightens himself from the crouch he's been in for hours trying to get the thing he showed up with a few days back to work. He puts a hand to his mouth and calls out to her.

For all of us, he'd said but as he watched him show Shepard around the mess of wires Cortez knew that it was really just for Lola.

"What is it?" Garrus asks, doing his best to fold his armors while juggling data pads. 

"What is this?" Vega scoffs and throws his hands up, "Hermano this is best thing I've found since we left Earth! Everyone will love it." 

Shepard is smiling although Cortez can see that she is a bit nervous as well. Vega's latest bid to improve crew morale had ended with himself and Traynor in the med bay with scaled fingers and half an eyebrow gone from his face.

"Well how does it work?" Cortez knows Garrus is trying to figure it out himself, he hasn’t had much time to spend with him but he’s heard talk and one fix-it man can pick out another one. He can also see more haptic feedback than usual running through that blue visor.

"Ah ha!” Vega laughs, “I need a partner for it to work properly." He leans over the tower and flips a switch, cursing he gives the machine a small kick and rough music starts to fill the space.

Vega holds out his hand to Shepard who shakes her head and shoves her own hands deep into the pockets of her casual jacket.

"Come on Lola!"

Cortez can't help but laugh as the younger man begins dancing, a mix between a one-man samba and an outdated set of steps he remembers seeing from vids that were ancient even when he was young. The types of vids with lots of dancing that Robert always managed to talk him into watching. The turian turns his attention towards the pilot with his mandibles splayed in surprise and probably confusion, which causes him to laugh even more. All this before the undignified, undeniable squawk comes from Shepard as James pulls her arms from their hiding place and begins to swing her around hard enough that the hair piled on top of her head starts to shake loose.

Before Garrus can step in and rescue the commander, Cortez jogs over and reaches up to place a hand on his shoulder. Smiling, he gives the turian a friendly pat and he watches the mandibles pull up in to a strange sort of smile that he is beginning to get used to. He watches as some of the tension leaves the tall alien’s body as he watches Shepard, and after a moment he looks back over to the dancing pair as well.

"Atta girl Lola! Desentumecer los músculos!" Vega calls out as he turns her out in another awkward loose twirl. Shepard is stiff and blushing all the way in to her hair at the situation, but her eyes move to Garrus and she smiles at him before she lets out a sharp bark of laughter. She is turned once more before she steps on the big marine’s feet. He calls her out for it and her eyes won’t leave the floor after that. As the song comes to a close Vega releases Shepard’s hands and finishes the dance by himself. She reaches up to fix her hair and throws her hands back up in frustration as it falls back around her face.

“You really need to work him harder Steve.” She tries to keep her face neutral but the corners of her mouth are twitching and as Vega makes a rude noise she smiles at him again before her attention is fully back to Garrus who makes a strange set of noises before opening his mouth to speak.

“Back to work?” She says cutting him off.

He follows her as she wanders back over to the supplies and as Garrus speaks quietly to her, Cortez can’t make out the words but it seems like low growling at this distance so he looks back at Vega. Who is still staring at Shepard.

“That was real smooth kid.”

“Don’t I know it.” He kicks the machine again and laughs when Shepard buries her face in her hands at the start of a new song, and he can hear the turian’s own version of laughter. Garrus’ head is tipped back and his shoulders move up and down.

Cortez sighs and looks up towards the light, remembering that Robert was a fantastic dancer. Maybe he could give lessons to the turian…


End file.
